Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026
11:39
Assessing Autophagic Flux by Measuring LC3, p62, and LAMP1 Co-localization Using Multispectral Imaging Flow Cytometry
Published on: July 21, 2017
Oncosuppressive functions of autophagy
Eugenia Morselli1, Lorenzo Galluzzi, Oliver Kepp
1INSERM, U848, Villejuif, France.
Antioxidants & Redox Signaling
|August 18, 2010
Summary
Macroautophagy (autophagy) is a cellular process for degrading damaged components. This review explores how autophagy can prevent cancer development by removing harmful cellular structures and proteins.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Oncology
Background:
- Macroautophagy (autophagy) is an evolutionarily conserved cellular degradation pathway.
- Autophagy maintains cellular homeostasis by removing damaged organelles and protein aggregates.
- Autophagy is upregulated under various stress conditions, including nutrient deprivation and pathogen invasion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the mechanisms by which autophagy may prevent oncogenesis.
- To discuss the dual role of autophagy in cancer, including its cytoprotective and tumor-suppressive functions.
- To explore autophagy as a potential target for anticancer strategies.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on autophagy and cancer.
- Analysis of molecular mechanisms regulating autophagic flux.
- Examination of the interplay between autophagy, oncoproteins, and tumor suppressors.
Main Results:
- Autophagy plays a critical role in cellular defense against various stresses.
- Autophagy can suppress tumor formation by clearing damaged components and preventing genomic instability.
- Modulating autophagy can impact cancer cell survival and response to therapy.
Conclusions:
- Autophagy exhibits potent tumor-suppressive functions.
- Understanding autophagy's role in oncogenesis is crucial for developing novel cancer therapies.
- Targeting autophagy presents a promising avenue for cancer treatment.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Autophagy
Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
01:36Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome
Eukaryotic cells use different mechanisms to eliminate toxic waste obsolete and worn-out substances. Lysosomes play a pivotal role in this, and hence, these substances are carried to the lysosome from other parts of the cell and extracellular space through different pathways. The most elaborately studied pathways to the lysosome are the endocytic pathways.
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
01:18Autophagic Cell Death
Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and pro-apoptotic...
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and pro-apoptotic...
01:22Cellular Injury V: Apoptosis and Autophagy
Cells respond to damage and stress through highly coordinated processes that decide whether they survive or undergo controlled self-destruction. Two major pathways involved in this regulation are apoptosis, a type of programmed cell death, and autophagy, a survival mechanism that helps cells adapt to adverse conditions.ApoptosisApoptosis removes aged or injured cells to maintain tissue balance. During this process, the cell shrinks, chromatin condenses and fragments, and membrane-bound...
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...
03:03mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
The mTOR pathway or the...